Newcomer Halle Bailey makes a splash with a star-is-born performance in Disney’s new live-action remake.
The 23-year-old brings charisma, charm and fearsome pipes to Ariel, a teenage mermaid who loses her voice, gains a pair of legs and has just three days to seduce a dashing prince.
The set-up, taken from Hans Christian Anderson’s story, felt a bit old-fashioned in Disney’s hit 1989 animation. In 2023, the idea of a girl winning a man by staying quiet and looking pretty sounds decidedly fishy.
